Etymologically
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torno

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈtɔr.noː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈtɔr.no][1]

Forms

tornō (present infinitive tornāre, perfect active tornāvī, supine tornātum); first conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is a verb formed from tornus “lathe”,[2][3] which is borrowed from Ancient Greek τόρνος (tórnos, “lathe, compasses”).[1][4] Georges and Saalfeld compare the Greek verb Ancient Greek τορνεύω (torneúō, “to turn on a lathe”).[5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler dates it from Cicero (81–43 BC),[7] who says the creator turned the world so that nothing could be rounder, and speaks of a turned sphere.[3][5]

Semantic evolution

Its classical sense was to turn on a lathe and so to make round, as Pliny's turned spear shafts and stone turned into vessels.[2][3] Horace's male tornati versus, “badly turned verses”, used it figuratively of shaping a poem.[8] Jerome uses it of twisting one's beard.[5][8]

In the Romance languages it came to mean simply “to turn” and “to return”: Italian, Spanish and Portuguese tornare, tornar, French tourner.[1] English turn comes from it, partly through late Old English turnian and partly through Old French torner, and return from the Old French compound retorner.[4]

Timeline

  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of the round world and of a sphere.[3][5][7]
  • 65–8 BC – Horace speaks of badly turned verses.[8][7]
  • 23/24–79 AD – Pliny the Elder uses it of turned spear shafts.[3][7]
  • late Old English – turnian is borrowed from it.[4]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To turn on a lathe, round off.[2][1]
  2. (figurative) To shape, turn (verses).[8][5]
  3. To turn.[1]

Word family

  • dētornō
  • tornātilis
  • tornātor
  • tornātūra

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d e Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  6. ^ Saalfeld, Günther Alexander (1874), Index Graecorum vocabulorum in linguam latinam translatorum, Berlin: Weidmann
  7. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  8. ^ a b c d Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.